Tone/Vibes: adventurous, funny, hopeful, inspiring, lighthearted, and a fast-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

Rating: 5.0/5.0

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this digital eARC! :)

I loved this book! The art and message are very well done. It’s so cute that the cat does not care about the superficial praises, but this is often what we use for children too! Sometimes it’s hard to have a simple introduction to positive affirmations and self-esteem without sounding silly, but this is very relatable to kids, as well as parents and mentors. I also loved that the one with the genuine praises was the “sister” or daughter in the story. Much like little ones, before they are more used to hearing outward praises.

I will definitely be buying this book to have in my office for my therapy clients. I look forward to any other books by this author or if this becomes a series! :)

Fiona is a fluffy cat. She’s loved by her family, and they complement her frequently. However, Fiona is not impressed with their compliments. She’s a hard-working cat and without her the family would fall apart. And they need to recognize it! This book is adorable, and the pictures are fantastic. I could see reading this repeatedly, both at a storytime or class or just in bed. I think it’s a nice lesson on how something sounds like a compliment but someone maybe taking it adifferent way.

Queen Fiona of Apartment 4C - or simply "Fiona" - knows that she is smart, and helpful, playful, resourceful and so much more than "pretty" or "lovely" like her family say. Fiona knows that she does many things well and wants to be appreciated for her actions, but her family doesn't seem to realize that.

Kids, like Fiona, sometimes aren't sure how to express themselves. Fiona isn't able to express her frustrations with her family, but it affects how she feels. Similarly, the words we use to praise children are important, as they may not always know which words to use to express themselves, but their actions can speak louder than their words. Praising someone for being kind, athletic, smart, artistic, caring or anything beyond their looks is an important message.

Conversations or books about this topic may appeal to both parents, educators, and children themselves. The colorful illustrations, and simple words that reinforce a positive message make this a great choice as a shared read, guided read or independent read for young readers of varying level.

Thank you to NetGalley and 4U2B Books & Media for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

I am so glad to have found this book and received this copy for myself and my daughters to read. It contains such a necessary message, particularly for young girls, but it is told in such a unique way that really stuck with my daughters long after finishing the book. I am so impressed with the story and the illustrations - highly recommend this book to all retailers, libraries, etc.!

Fiona is a cute kitty. Great for a cat lover. I love a sassy cat and Fiona is definitely that. She can be sweet and loves to play. This was a fun read for my granddaughter and we recommend for others who love cats or animals in general. Thank you to NetGalley for this book. #netgalley, #fionaandthepeculiarpraise, #renniedyball, #cats, #sassycat,

I think the artistry is really cute and engaging in this book. The storyline is straight to the point, but I feel that the point may be a little too vague for children of the right age group. With my child brain, the ending was just confusing and pointless. With my adult brain, I get the purpose of the story. Overall, it kind if loses it's own readers by not fluffing out what those different types of praise are and how they can be handled. For really young children, this would probably be an ok read because they will miss the point anyway and just like the pictures. For a child that can follow the storyline, I think it just leads to confusion and questions.

As a cat lover I felt that Fiona, the cat's personality was too aggressively portrait.

My four year old daughter did not enjoy the book, but I imagine older kids might.

This was a sweet book and really validates that it is okay to want to be seen for your accomplishments not just your looks. My daughter (6) said that she especially liked the "dream sequence" in which Fiona is imagining her physical rage in typical cat form (swiping all the dishes off the table). She also she was her least favorite part because she saw how sad and angry Fiona was. We both agreed that the illustrations were wonderful in that they were easy to see, lots of detail, lovely colors, and followed the story well.

I would absolutely recommend this book to any parent with a daughter (or son).

I loved reading this book to my nieces at bedtime. The book teaches an important lesson in the fact that being called smart is so much more rewarding than being called beautiful.

This book had me giggling out loud and smiling wide at the end. I LOVE the attitude from the cat, the dynamics and art of the family, of the main character, and of the setting itself. The art in this book is just adorable and gorgeous. This is such a heartwarming, fun, wonderful children’s book. I loved this one!

Thank you for allowing me to read this eARC! I am leaving this feedback voluntarily.

Thank you so much to 4U2B Books & Media and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

Queen Fiona has had enough, all anyone ever does is compliment her on how beautiful she is, well she’s more than how she looks and she can’t take it anymore. She works hard all day and no one pays any attention to all the tasks she does.

I loved seeing the day in the life of Fiona she had so much she needed to get done. She kept getting really riled up from the first thing she did in the morning until dinner time, everyone would only talk about her looks not her achievements. She was really funny though getting madder and madder as the day went on.

The illustrations were really pretty and very big, I enjoyed seeing each thing she did in the day along with the story. Seeing all her frustrations mountaning up as her hard work went ignored. I loved seeing her interactions with her family too, how she actually helped them out each day.

This is a really cute read for young readers and especially cat lovers as it’s a great tail to never underestimate your pets, they do more in a day than you realise and don’t just want to hear how cute they are.

This is an adorable children's story about a cat named Fiona who is frustrated that she keeps being praised for her looks as she goes about her dag. At the end, her young owner praises her for being smart! I love that this sends a message to kids that they are more than their appearance, they are smart, strong, brave, and so many other things! The text was fun and the illustrations were so cute. It's a fantastic read for young kids!

Thank you to NetGalley and 4U2B Books and Media for the ARC!

Netgalley ARC - I think the message of the book is good, but something about it didn't work super well for me. The art style is not my favorite and I think the text is a little whiny, though I know the tone is supposed to be sassy.

I absolutely loved Fiona as a main character. It was so fun to be inside her head as a cat. I also loved the messages in this book about how important it is to compliment people on their work or their inner qualities rather than just their appearance. This is such an important lesson especially in this day and age. I think it was done in such an easy to understand way and in a fun, silly way that kids will definitely remember.

This is a beautiful illustrated book with an important message. It's important to look behind peoples (or cats) facade and not only compliment their looks. The story is easy to follow and most pages only contain one or two sentences in big bold letters which add to the story itself. Fiona as well as Lou and the parents are adorably illustrated. Especially Fiona's different face expressions made me giggle.

Thank you to Netgalley and 4U2B Books & Media for this EARC!

Oh how I loved this book. In a world where girls are told they are "pretty" instead of complimented on their inner attributes, this book really hits close to home. This lesson is told through the funny antics of a cat in an apartment building.

Drawing is lovely.. and story telling is very cute.
I like the story . It is hilariously referring to our kids as I think when i praise her lovely ,sweety she got intrigued like the Fiona. What a creative thinking

My daughter loves this sweet kitty story! She asked to read it multiple times. I may have to pick up a hard copy for her. We really enjoyed it and will look to others from this author.

Fiona is a resourceful cat, but the one thing she hates more than anything is being personified by her looks, because she is absolutely gorgeous. She wants her humans to recognize all the good traits she has, The artwork is beautifully done. This is a great story to talk about the importance of not relying on our looks, but showing others the characteristics that make each of us special.

Fiona and the Peculiar Praise was cute. I loved the illustrations, but I thought the story was lacking a bit. Outside of the art being beautiful, I find it hard to believe that the plot will keep a child's attention.